Posted on 02/09/2025 4:28:03 AM PST by Libloather
A major solar power plant project that was granted over a billion dollars in federal loans is on the road to closure, with energy experts blasting the project as a "boondoggle" that harmed the environment.
In 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under former President Barack Obama issued $1.6 billion in loan guarantees to finance the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, a green energy project that consists of three solar concentrating thermal power plants in California.
The facility was touted by then-Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz as an "example of how America is becoming a world leader in solar energy." But after 10 years, the federally funded plant is now on track to close.
"Ivanpah is yet another failed green energy boondoggle, much like Solyndra," Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, an American energy advocacy group, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Despite receiving $1.6 billion in federal loan guarantees, it never lived up to its promises, producing less electricity than expected while still relying on natural gas to stay operational."
"Now, with its power contracts canceled, Ivanpah stands as a testament to the waste and inefficiency of government-subsidized energy schemes," Isaac said.
Ivanpah consists of three individual units, two of which were contracted by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) in 2009 and scheduled to run until 2039.
In January, PG&E announced plans to cancel its agreement with Ivanpah 14 years early, determining that "ending the agreements at this time will save customers money compared to the cost of keeping them through 2039" – ultimately putting Ivanpah on notice for closure.
"The Ivanpah plant was a financial boondoggle and environmental disaster," Julia Dowell of the Sierra Club, an environmental activism group, said of the power plant.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
And don’t ever listen to us, again!
Talk about light pollution, you can see this nasty project halfway across Nevada when flying.
I’ve never seen it, don’t live anywhere near it, but remember all the talk about it when it was built. Now it looks like most people were pretty assured it would be unsuccessful.
Everything they touch.......
“In 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under former President Barack Obama issued $1.6 billion in loan guarantees to finance the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility”
Back then, the cost of solar panels was in a free-fall and likely already cheaper than the this plant...two things that I’m interested in - how much did the feds ultimately lose (probably more than $1.6 Billion), and how much of it got funneled back to the Democrats.
Let’s not forget Solandra, $900 million disappeared, FBI seized all records and never investigated..
A true statement. However, the first time I saw it while driving past into Las Vegas, I found it to be visually stunning.
Coming out of a row of hills late in the afternoon, the sun's rays, captured by thousands of mirrors were reflected
through the valley dust to create an otherworldly vision.
All-in-all, this was a pretty expensive artistic presentation.
Obama is ignorant enough about science and engineering to believe that it would be successful. It is just as likely the result of incompetence and wishful thinking as malice. I suppose his thinking was that this was like the Manhattan Project: Some initial government seed money launched the nuclear industry. (Fermi built the first nuclear reactor for about $10,000, a lot of money for academic institutions at the time, but not for daunting for utility companies.)
Still I like the link heading in the linked article:
“EXPERTS SAY FIRST WEEK OF ‘TRUMP EFFECT’ IS DERAILING GLOBAL CLIMATE MOVEMENT’S ‘HOUSE OF CARDS’”
Talk about a mixed metaphor.
The plant has already been built. The power lines to it have been built.
It’s now a matter of operating costs I believe and if California has enough other sources of electricity to avoid brownouts.
It also generates electricity somewhat later in the day than solar panels can.
Texans have twice paid enormous prices $9,000/MWh ($9/KWh) for electricity.
I believe Morrocco has a number of similar plants.
Financial boondoggle? C’mon man! It achieved exactly the financial end it was designed for, funneling taxpayer money through a green energy project to gain public approval and then siphoning off huge sums and redirecting to the DNC.
WIKI
The plant burns natural gas each morning to commence operation. The Wall Street Journal reported, “Instead of ramping up the plant each day before sunrise by burning one hour’s worth of natural gas to generate steam, Ivanpah needs more than four times that much.” On August 27, 2014, the State of California approved Ivanpah to increase its annual natural gas consumption from 328,000,000 cubic feet (9,300,000 m3) of natural gas, as previously approved, to 525,000,000 cubic feet (14,900,000 m3). In 2014, the plant burned 868×109 British thermal units (254 GWh) of natural gas emitting 46,084 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is nearly twice the pollution threshold at which power plants and factories in California are required to participate in the state’s cap and trade program to reduce carbon emissions. If that fuel had been used in a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant, it would have generated about 124 GWh of electrical energy. The facility used that gas plus solar energy to produce 419 GWh of electrical energy (more than three times that of the referenced CCGT plant), all the while operating at well below its expected output.
BrightSource estimated that the Ivanpah facility would provide 1,000 jobs at the peak of construction, 86 permanent jobs, and total economic benefits of $3 billion.
In November 2014, the Associated Press reported that the facility was producing only “about half of its expected annual output”. The California Energy Commission issued a statement blaming this on “clouds, jet contrails and weather”. Performance improved in 2015 to about 650 GWh. However, NRG Energy said in its November quarterly report that Ivanpah would likely not meet its contractual obligations to provide power to PG&E during the year, raising the risk of default on its Power Purchase Agreement. PG&E had a contract to receive 640 GWh/year from Units 1 and 3, while SCE was supposed to receive 336 GWh from Unit 2, at a price of about $200/MWh (20¢/kWh).
By 2017, due to improvements, the plant was meeting the contract output requirements.
In September 2016, federal biologists said about 6,000 birds die from collisions or immolation annually while chasing flying insects around the facility’s towers.
In its seventh year (2020), the annual production was 91.1% of its advertised value.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivanpah_Solar_Power_Facility
A Chinese CSP(Concentrated Solar Plant):
It would use bauxite particles:
Lobbyists tap another congressman/woman/person to make new deal for someplace else.
Wonder if anybody has ever seen a lobbyist in a unemployment office?.
That “shining beauty” of reflected light scattered away from the focus points on the three towers like a flat pond in the desert IS the seductive danger to every one of the (tens of thousands) of the birds fried as vere off seeking water.
The birds are heated, then burned into smoking remnants as they dive down towards what think is water below them. Theese dozens of smoke threads are seen every hour during daylight.
The complex is expensive, doesn’t roduce as power as it was advertised, fails frequently for repairs, and needs regularly to use natural gas as a backup.
That “shining beauty” of reflected light scattered away from the focus points on the three towers like a flat pond in the desert IS the seductive danger to every one of the (tens of thousands) of the birds fried as vere off seeking water.
The birds are heated, then burned into smoking remnants as they dive down towards what think is water below them. Theese dozens of smoke threads are seen every hour during daylight.
The complex is expensive, doesn’t roduce as power as it was advertised, fails frequently for repairs, and needs regularly to use natural gas as a backup.
I saw it when flying about 100 miles south of there, and even at that distance it was blinding. Took me a second to realize what it was and I was so shocked at the indescribable intensity that I couldn’t believe that the FAA wouldn’t have been screaming for it to be shut down (I know, I’m not naive about how the bureaucracy likely clamped down on any concerns about it). It was painfully bright even at a hundred miles away, and because of how that technology works it beams light of that intensity in all directions, 360 degrees around the compass, and it’s impossible to prevent it when it’s operating. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would have known that such a technology could never work on a large scale because it would make aviation impossible during daylight hours.
“still relying on natural gas to stay operational.”
A solar power plant that produces nothing at night needs natural gas backup power? Wow, that’s big news. Whoever could have foreseen that?
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